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| All still on The Water of Ken |
Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog. Thanks for coming and joining me once again in the beautiful Glenkens.
Early summer beckons in the Glenkens:
Hey Pesto!
Last week we were blessed with the most lovely warm and sunny days. Temperatures up and over 17oC made for the exciting prospect of the summer to come (hopefully). Enjoying walks with Alfie (the wonder dog) and not coming home dripping wet are always a bonus! It has been a real joy to sit outside in the garden to knit/ crochet/ read (and dare I say it, revise for my university exam).
I had the unexpected and great pleasure of meeting Kathryn from Crafternoon Treats for coffee and a chat while she was holidaying in the area. She is just as welcoming and interesting to talk to as her YouTube podcast would suggest. Nothing nicer than sitting and chatting about all things crafty right next to the beautiful village burn (stream) in the warm sunshine. What a treat indeed!
I am sure we are encouraging the entire local bird population into our garden due to the regular bird feeder top-ups we keep needing to do. My youngest is making good use of the RSPB bird spotter book and binoculars. Alfie just can't contain himself from chasing their shadows as they fly across the garden. One way to wear out a Border Collie (if that is possible?).
I had the unexpected and great pleasure of meeting Kathryn from Crafternoon Treats for coffee and a chat while she was holidaying in the area. She is just as welcoming and interesting to talk to as her YouTube podcast would suggest. Nothing nicer than sitting and chatting about all things crafty right next to the beautiful village burn (stream) in the warm sunshine. What a treat indeed!
I am sure we are encouraging the entire local bird population into our garden due to the regular bird feeder top-ups we keep needing to do. My youngest is making good use of the RSPB bird spotter book and binoculars. Alfie just can't contain himself from chasing their shadows as they fly across the garden. One way to wear out a Border Collie (if that is possible?).
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| The stunning Gorse is everywhere just now |
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| Lovely purple shades |
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| Gradients of pink |
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| Honeysuckle scents in the evening = heaven |
Hey Pesto!
Due to the abundance of wild garlic in the wooded copse next to our garden my youngest and I decided a foraging trip was in order. Many a time my other children announce their return from school with a garlic fume-filled kiss as they have grazed along the hedgerow on the way up the farm track! Anyway, I have been hankering to try out wild garlic pesto for some time and so we gathered a good couple of handfuls for soaking followed by blitzing it up into a culinary delight. Just add toasted pine nuts, Parmesan cheese (or nutritional yeast for a non-dairy version), olive oil, lemon juice and salt & pepper. Given the empty plates at dinner time I think you can guess how popular it was mixed with pasta and sweetcorn. Yum!
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| Wild Garlic |
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| Soaking the picked Wild Garlic |
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| Hey Pesto! |
Adventures in Crafting:
Any crafter will tell you that they solemnly swear to finish all of their Works-in-Progress (WIPs) before casting on/ commencing another project. I suspect (like me) that such best intentions last as long as it takes to have a quick scroll through Instagram, flick through Pinterest or visit to Ravelry!! Before you know it you are queueing up the next project or reaching for your yarn/ fabric stash and needles. I was very disciplined last year and decided to finally complete many a forgotten project and 're-love' ones that needed concentrated work (or a complete ripping out!). My yarn stash dwindled but my sense of pride grew as each project became a FI (Finished Item). I will share some of these over the next few blogs.
WIPs:-
I love watching a good crafting vlog/ podcast on YouTube. There are several that I follow and Wee Sheep Yarns produce a great one. Jane and Lynda make me giggle every time I tune in. Jane hand-dyes her own yarns as well as running her own yarn shop called Craft Time in Darvel, Ayrshire (UK). To celebrate reaching 200 subscribers they are running a KAL (KnitALong) until 31st July 2019. The KAL is to make any shawl of your choice and if you use Wee Sheep Yarn's yarn you can get a 20% discount right now from the etsy shop weesheepyarns.etsy.com (Code SUB200). I am passionate about supporting local businesses and so it has been my pleasure to order enough of Jane's yarn to make the 'Easy Goes It' shawl by Finicky Creations (designed by Michelle Higgins). This can be found on Ravelry. My shawl is coming along quite quickly just now. The mix of superwash merino and nylon is making a light-weight and soft fabric and I am loving the bright colours that match the wonderful floral displays everywhere just now. A mix of garter, stocking and lacework stitches add texture and keep the interest going as the stitch count increases.
The pleasure of knowing that my 'Fisherman's Kep' Fair Isle colourwork hat has been well received by it's new owner gives me enormous pleasure (See my previous blog 'May Meanderings').
The sampler uses black and gold embroidery thread and I chose a 28 hpi (holes per inch) white evenweave linen fabric as I find it easier to work with than aida fabric and I prefer the finish. I decided to use two strands of Anchor shade 403 (black) for the outlines and one strand for the filler patterns. You could use Coton รก Broder for the outlines instead. I never became bored as the changes in filling patterns keep you interested. The difficult part is making sure you count the squares correctly when completing the outer borders. One square out results in a great deal of heartache as you unpick many hours of work!
A little history lesson: Blackwork is believed to be one of the earliest forms of contrast embroidery and it is possible that the artform was brought to Spain via Moorish influences from the Islamic art of North Africa. This influenced Spanish needlework and originally Blackwork was known as Spanish work. Catherine of Aragon is purported to have brought this type of embroidery to the Royal household of Henry VIII and examples are depicted on collars and cuffs in court portraits of the time (for example those by painter Hans Holbein). In fact the double running stitch used in Blackwork was named Holbein stitch in his honour. After King Henry VIII's split with the Catholic church (and Catherine) the work was renamed Blackwork. Traditional English design elements such as fruits, flowers, etc... were introduced later. Blackwork also does not actually need to be black on white. Any contrast is OK with examples seen in other tones. The filler pattern can be altered to create areas that look more heavily shaded than others. An example of Blackwork that I have stitched (below) was taken from a cuff design depicted in a 1537 Hans Holbein portrait of Jane Seymour. It was redacted by Lorraine Behrens from the portrait detailing and makes a simple and pretty repeat.
Any crafter will tell you that they solemnly swear to finish all of their Works-in-Progress (WIPs) before casting on/ commencing another project. I suspect (like me) that such best intentions last as long as it takes to have a quick scroll through Instagram, flick through Pinterest or visit to Ravelry!! Before you know it you are queueing up the next project or reaching for your yarn/ fabric stash and needles. I was very disciplined last year and decided to finally complete many a forgotten project and 're-love' ones that needed concentrated work (or a complete ripping out!). My yarn stash dwindled but my sense of pride grew as each project became a FI (Finished Item). I will share some of these over the next few blogs.
WIPs:-
(Referring back to my last blog 'May Meanderings') - I am still on 'one sock island' (making the 'Basic sock' pattern by Winwick Mum). I need a long journey to complete the other one I think so will take it on the family summer holiday trip. Work on the Attic 24 'Dune' crochet blanket continues in the evenings as a great way to unwind and work in a mindless relaxed manner.
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| 'Spring Fling' hand-dyed yarn by Wee Sheep Yarns |
I love watching a good crafting vlog/ podcast on YouTube. There are several that I follow and Wee Sheep Yarns produce a great one. Jane and Lynda make me giggle every time I tune in. Jane hand-dyes her own yarns as well as running her own yarn shop called Craft Time in Darvel, Ayrshire (UK). To celebrate reaching 200 subscribers they are running a KAL (KnitALong) until 31st July 2019. The KAL is to make any shawl of your choice and if you use Wee Sheep Yarn's yarn you can get a 20% discount right now from the etsy shop weesheepyarns.etsy.com (Code SUB200). I am passionate about supporting local businesses and so it has been my pleasure to order enough of Jane's yarn to make the 'Easy Goes It' shawl by Finicky Creations (designed by Michelle Higgins). This can be found on Ravelry. My shawl is coming along quite quickly just now. The mix of superwash merino and nylon is making a light-weight and soft fabric and I am loving the bright colours that match the wonderful floral displays everywhere just now. A mix of garter, stocking and lacework stitches add texture and keep the interest going as the stitch count increases.
FIs:-
The FI I want to share is one that involved over 10 years of very intermittent stitching using a magnifier and a great deal of patience. I finally completed my Blackwork embroidery sampler. I am yet to have it framed for the big 'ta-dah' reveal but I wanted to share my love of this piece and the art of Blackwork with you. This design came from New Stitches magazine (Issue 138) but sadly I no longer have a copy to credit the designer.
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| Blackwork Sampler |
The sampler uses black and gold embroidery thread and I chose a 28 hpi (holes per inch) white evenweave linen fabric as I find it easier to work with than aida fabric and I prefer the finish. I decided to use two strands of Anchor shade 403 (black) for the outlines and one strand for the filler patterns. You could use Coton รก Broder for the outlines instead. I never became bored as the changes in filling patterns keep you interested. The difficult part is making sure you count the squares correctly when completing the outer borders. One square out results in a great deal of heartache as you unpick many hours of work!
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| Detail of the centre of the sampler |
A little history lesson: Blackwork is believed to be one of the earliest forms of contrast embroidery and it is possible that the artform was brought to Spain via Moorish influences from the Islamic art of North Africa. This influenced Spanish needlework and originally Blackwork was known as Spanish work. Catherine of Aragon is purported to have brought this type of embroidery to the Royal household of Henry VIII and examples are depicted on collars and cuffs in court portraits of the time (for example those by painter Hans Holbein). In fact the double running stitch used in Blackwork was named Holbein stitch in his honour. After King Henry VIII's split with the Catholic church (and Catherine) the work was renamed Blackwork. Traditional English design elements such as fruits, flowers, etc... were introduced later. Blackwork also does not actually need to be black on white. Any contrast is OK with examples seen in other tones. The filler pattern can be altered to create areas that look more heavily shaded than others. An example of Blackwork that I have stitched (below) was taken from a cuff design depicted in a 1537 Hans Holbein portrait of Jane Seymour. It was redacted by Lorraine Behrens from the portrait detailing and makes a simple and pretty repeat.
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| Redacted detail of Blackwork from Jane Seymour's cuff |
Through completing the Blackwork sampler I have discovered a love of this type of embroidery and this has led me to create my own designs. I hope to publish these at a later date in kit form.
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| Heart design |
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| Nordic Star design |
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| Detail of my Nordic Star design (under magnification) |
'Sharing The Love'
I call this section 'Sharing The Love'. I want to grow my blog within the wonderful crafting community I have found online on Ravelry, YouTube and Instagram. I thought that each week I would share one of my favourite sites so that you can also go and visit them. To help me grow my site (and help me in my future plans to set up an online textile design business) could I ask that when you visit them you mention that I sent you their way? Thank you so much xx
The Wee Sew n Sew Knitting Podcast: I highly suggest a visit to Caz's lovely YouTube podcast. I love hearing about her adventures in knitting and could listen to her beautiful Scottish accent all day. Caz introduced me to Wee Sheep Yarns via her podcast. Caz also takes you along on local visits so you get to enjoy some of the stunning views from the Highlands of Scotland. Caz can be found on Instagram at theweesewnsew and also on www.ravelry.com in the Wee Sew n Sew group where she is currently running the socklandkal and a Jumperjoykal until 30th June 2019. I am entering a sock for this and debating starting a Gansey jumper (sweater) if I have time.
'Another Love'
Life in a Northern Town by The Dream Academy
The book I want to recommend is one that would make anyone want to step outside and head off on an adventure. The book covers the vastness of the forests and mountains along the Appalachian Trail in the Eastern United States of America that covers a length of approximately 2,200 miles (3,500 Km). I adore the travel writer Bill Bryson's wit and observations. His endeavours to complete this trail with his friend Katz in tow is hilarious and humbling. It inspires me one day to complete the far more modest Southern Upland Way which runs 214 miles (344 km) from Portpatrick on the SW coast of Scotland to Cockburnspath on the East coast. Part of the path runs just a stone's throw from my door so it is very tempting.
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Thank you for joining me once again. Enjoy being creative until we meet again.
Please feel free to comment and also visit me on my links to Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. I can also be found at Ravelry as MidgePorterDesign.
I call this section 'Sharing The Love'. I want to grow my blog within the wonderful crafting community I have found online on Ravelry, YouTube and Instagram. I thought that each week I would share one of my favourite sites so that you can also go and visit them. To help me grow my site (and help me in my future plans to set up an online textile design business) could I ask that when you visit them you mention that I sent you their way? Thank you so much xx
The Wee Sew n Sew Knitting Podcast: I highly suggest a visit to Caz's lovely YouTube podcast. I love hearing about her adventures in knitting and could listen to her beautiful Scottish accent all day. Caz introduced me to Wee Sheep Yarns via her podcast. Caz also takes you along on local visits so you get to enjoy some of the stunning views from the Highlands of Scotland. Caz can be found on Instagram at theweesewnsew and also on www.ravelry.com in the Wee Sew n Sew group where she is currently running the socklandkal and a Jumperjoykal until 30th June 2019. I am entering a sock for this and debating starting a Gansey jumper (sweater) if I have time.
(aka The music and books section)
The track for this blog is one that I have loved since it was first released in 1985. Some songs just make the hairs stand up. I love the mix of story telling and atmosphere. I loved it even more when I did go to live in the great northern historical cotton producing town of Bolton in Lancashire (UK). The video was originally filmed in Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire (UK).
Life in a Northern Town by The Dream Academy
Written by Gilbert Gabriel and Nick Laird-Clowes. Label: Warner Bros.
The book I want to recommend is one that would make anyone want to step outside and head off on an adventure. The book covers the vastness of the forests and mountains along the Appalachian Trail in the Eastern United States of America that covers a length of approximately 2,200 miles (3,500 Km). I adore the travel writer Bill Bryson's wit and observations. His endeavours to complete this trail with his friend Katz in tow is hilarious and humbling. It inspires me one day to complete the far more modest Southern Upland Way which runs 214 miles (344 km) from Portpatrick on the SW coast of Scotland to Cockburnspath on the East coast. Part of the path runs just a stone's throw from my door so it is very tempting.
Thank you for joining me once again. Enjoy being creative until we meet again.
Midge x
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